Article: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)

There was a moment about halfway through The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes when I thought this may be the 2nd best Hunger Games adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling books of them all (the 2012 original is the best, of course). Split into three parts, this prequel installment quickly establishes its own unique identity, despite having the same director, never needing to match the energy of its parent series while also using it occasionally as a tool when necessary.